ABOUT TASTE TUSCANY

I’m English but enjoying life to the full in Tuscany, with its simple pleasures, excellent food and friendly locals. I’ve been here for more than ten years and have an Italian partner and we have a lovely lively five year old.

For these Cooking Lessons I work with a group of wonderful local Italian cooks who are very experienced and knowledgeable about the Tuscan Traditional cuisine. You’ll learn a lot under their skilled guidance.

Our aim is simple, to give you a very hands on practical experience producing the local tasty Tuscan cuisine.

We pride ourselves on a very personalised service so don’t hesitate to ask if you have any special requests. It’s more fun and varied for us too!

In the past two years I’ve added a vegetable plot outside in my garden, a supplement to the herbs and spices that I’ve cultivated for a long time already, so that we can use seasonal organic vegetables as much as possible. We’ll often add in an extra dish last minute to a lesson if there’s something new in the veggie patch.

We specialise in small groups usually so that the experience is very much for each and every one participating. It’s very definitely not just a demonstration.

We work all year round and in all weathers but some of the nicest periods here are May and June and September and October .

Our homes are near Montalcino and Buonconvento (south of Siena) and that is where we are based. The meet point for the lessons is in Buonconvento and we can give you detailed directions to get there.

We are all looking forward to another busy season cooking with You!

Lesley

CUSTOMER COMMENT

“Amazing food, amazing wine, amazing company! Great fun!”

“We had a fabulous day with Lesley and Paula! We made a 5 course meal that we selected and enjoyed every minute of the day! Lesley and Paula made it fun and interesting and while Paula doesn’t speak English, she is very entertaining and gets her point across! We enjoyed our creation on a beautiful terrace and the wines that were selected were perfect for our meal. Lesley picked us up and dropped us back at the hotel making the whole day an experience we will never forget! This is a must do activity for all travellers who enjoy the food and wines of the Tuscany region! Thank you Lesley and Paula for giving us a day we will never forget. Grazie!”

Leslie was a great host – our best day in Tuscany. The experience was so memorable. I’m not a cook but loved the experience. The food was so good and we loved eating out on the patio with Leslie. We got to meet her Vizsla(can’t remember his name) – we all love dogs.

We all have tried the goat cheese tart recipe since our trip and planning an Italian cooking day when we get together in December.

Hope you had a good trip to India. Thanks for your hospitality and sharing your cooking talents with us!

Five stars does not fully express how good our experience with Leslie was. Our family of five was staying at nearby resort this past month. Cooking class and lunch was one of the highlights of our trip. The menu options offered us the ability to tailor it to our preferences. As it turned out the goat cheese and onion tart, along with the home-made pici pasta with tomatoes and pesto were off the charts . . . and so easy to make. All the other dishes . . . a total of five . . . were incredible as well. Starting with the freshest ingredients we thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of our labor with a wonderful lunch on her back porch. I rarely write reviews, but had to this time because the experience Leslie provided is so deserving. if you are in the area, cooking and dining with Leslie is a treat!